One in three pupils not at a ‘good’ school in Northamptonshire

One in three pupils in Northamptonshire do not attend a “good” secondary school, the latest annual Ofsted report has revealed.

According to the latest statistics revealed by the Government’s education watchdog show the county is still “lagging behind” the national average at primary and secondary school level.

In Northamptonshire, 72 per cent of the primary schools in the county are rated “good or outstanding”, while only 66 per cent of secondary schools are in the top two Ofsted categories.

The league table of local authorities shows Northamptonshire is ranked 114th out of 150 for the quality of its secondary schools and 129th for its primary schools.

The Ofsted report states: “Northamptonshire lags behind at both primary and secondary level.

“Some towns, such as Northampton, Corby, and Wellingborough, have lost their manufacturing base and have high deprivation indices. A high proportion of educational provision here is not yet good.”

Ofsted found that in Northamptonshire, as like every other local authority in the East Midlands, White British pupils from low income families achieve less well than economically disadvantaged pupils from other backgrounds.

The report states that these young people are being “let down by a system that has allowed them to underachieve by large margins in some local authorities.”

Looked after children and those who speak English as an additional language do not do as well in the region as similar pupils nationally.

The proportion of pupils who speak English as an additional language (EAL) that achieve at least five GCSEs at grades A* to C including English and mathematics is 4.4 percentage points lower than those whose first language is English in Northamptonshire. Ofsted said it was planning to “rigorously inspect” the support provided for children with English as an additional language to ensure that these students are reaching their full potential. The Government’s education watchdog said it would also determine and share best practice amongst schools in the East Midlands to support the newly arrived children of immigrants to adjust, learn English and achieve within the English education system.